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Johnson, Miller, Roste set state marks in JO track and field

Jaran Roste competed in the Decathlon, taking first in seven of 10 events, breaking five state event records. Roste fell 55 points short of setting a new state decathlon record for the 15-16 year old boys division. (Contributed)

Alexandria's Wensia Johnson, JeAnna Miller and Jaran Roste set new records at the USATF Minnesota Association Junior Olympic Track and Field Championships last week at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.

The three were part of a nine-person contingent from Alexandria that competed in the 4-day meet.

Johnson blew away three records, running an 11.91 for first place in the 100-meter dash in the 15-16 year old girls' division, then grabbed first in the long jump with a state record setting leap of 18'5.25".

She was part of the winning 4x100-meter relay in her age group, along with Jedah Caldwell, Maddie Gourley and Amanda Crockett. Relays were completed with athletes from that age group, not necessarily from the same communities.

That relay set a new state record with a time of 48.44.

JeAnna Miller also found herself a state record holder as she won the girls' 13-15 pentathlon high jump with a height of 4'11", then set another mark in the long jump with a distance of 14'4" in that event.

Miller finished second overall in the pentathlon, a competition that consists the high jump, long jump, shot put, 800-meter run and 100-meter hurdles. She finished with a total of 1,896 points.

Miller was also first in the individual high jump, clearing 5'1" and place fourth in the triple jump with a distance of 30'5.5". Her jump of 14'0.5" in the long jump earned her a seventh place, and she rounded out her meet with an eighth place in the 800-meter run in 2:48.82.

Roste, competing in the boys' 15-16 division, was first place overall in the decathlon, an event that includes 10 events. He set state meet records in five of those events including a first place time of 12.62 in the 100-meter dash, a height of 8'4.25" in the pole vault, a 17'8" leap in the long jump, a throw of 83'11" in the discus and a 34'1.25" in the shot put.

Also placing first for Alexandria was Patricia Johnson in the 4x100-meter relay with a time of 51.17. She ran with Kailynn Blanchard, Taylor Karash and T'Nia Riley in the girls' 13-14 division.

Bethany Miller also earned a first place in the girls' 11-12 high jump with a height of 4'5"

The top eight individuals and eight relay teams in each event of each age division will advance to the USATF Region 8 Championships to be held on July 4-7 at Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota.

The National Championships will be held from Monday-Sunday, July 22-28 at North Carolina A & T University in Greensboro, North Carolina.

The top five athletes in the individual events, top two in the combined events (triathlon/pentathlon/heptathlon/decathlon) and others meeting the combined events performance standard, and the top five relays at the Region 8 Championships will qualify for the National Championships.

Jaran Roste, 15-16 Year Old Boys Division - Decathalon, 1st place, 3,713 points - new state meet records in long jump 17-8, new state record in 100-meter 12.62, new state record in pole vault 8-4.25, new state record in discus 83-11, new state record in shot put 34-1.25.